Winding machine



June' 2, 1942'. v. H. HURT. 12,285,334 WINDINGILJACHINE Filed April 29,1.941 ZISheets-Sheet 1 w o w; a o

. INVENTOR. 75 2302" HWZ ATTORNEY" June 2 1942. v. H. HURT 2,235,334

wmnmeamcnma Filed April 29,1941 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 7466507JzCJiurfi I I BY z a.

ATTORNEY Patented June 2, 1942 2,285,334 WINDING MACHINE Victor'H. Hurt,Cranston, R. I., assignor to United tates Rubber Company, New-York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 29, 1941, Serial No.390,878 "10 Claims} (Cl. 242-3) This invention relates ,towindingmachines,

and more particularly toa ball winding machine adapted to deposit thewindings more thickly at the poles of the ball than at the equatorthereof.

In my application, Serial No. 390,877, filed April 29, 1941, Method ofcovering balls there is disclosed and claimed a methodof forming aseamless cover upon a ball body, which consists in winding atape ofplastic cover stock upon the ball bodyso'as to deposit this. coveringmaterial more thickly at the poles of theball than'at the equator, andthen placing the covered ball in a spherical mold so that during themolding operation the excess cover forming stock at the poles will flowtoward the equator.

The winding machine of the present invention has been designed" moreparticularly to wind a cover formingtape of plasticmaterial upon a ballbody so :as to deposit this material more thickly at the poles than atthe equator, and thereby provide mechanism for carrying out one stepcontemplated by the methodyof my above men-, tioned application.

An important feature ofthe present invention resides in means forsupporting a ball and rotating. it about a fixed axis to thereby wind atape or strand about the ball'ina plane: disposed atright angles to saidaxis, and in mechanism for rotating said ball during the windingoperation upon a second axis lying in said plane, to thereby cause allwindings to pass through the opposite poles of the ball and to bedistributed as spaced coils about its equator, r

A more specific feature of the present invention resides in a windingmachine prov'idedwith 'a pair of cooperating heads provided with ballsupporting rollers and with means for rotating atleast one'of theserollers 'to therebylturnthe ball on an axis parallel tothe axis of suchroller so as to space the successively applied windings around theequatorof the ball while causing them 7 to lie one on top of the otherat the poles.

-A further feature of the present invention resides in a stationarymember located. near the ball rotating position and adapted to beperiodically engaged by-means upon a ball supporting head as thehead-rotates to thereby turn the ball periodically. y p I Other featuresof the invention and novel combination of parts in addition to the abovewill be hereinafterdescribed in connection with accompanying drawingswhich illustrates one good practical form thereof.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a front view with parts in section of a ballwinding machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 on a larger scale-is a front view of the ball supportingmechanism of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

is a top plan view of the ball supporting heads; 7 I

Fig. 4 is a side view of a wound core or ball body of usual constructionfor a golf ball; and

Fig. 5 is a side view of an unfinishedgolf ball consisting ofthe ballbody of Fig. 4 having a cover wound thereon in the form of an ellipse.The ball winding machine of the presentinvention may for the most partbe constructed in a well known manner to support and rotate at 'thesamespeed a pair of heads which cooperate to support and turn the ball,since the present invention resides more particularly in theconstruction and operation of the heads and associherein described. i

' In the embodiment of the invention shown, the operating parts of themachine are supported by a bed plate 10 which is supported by theuprights H and I2. mounted the housingsl3 and M which are positioned inspaced relation to each other, so as to ated parts to produce the coverwinding operation provide a space between them in which theballsupporting heads may rotate. In each housing is mountedthebearingbracketsfi and [6 adapted to rotatably support in axialalignment'with each other the shafts I1. At the inner end of one shaftis provided a ball supporting head I8 and at the inner end of the othershaft is provided the ball supporting head H3. These shafts I! aremounted for sliding movement towards and from each otherto thereby movethe head l8, IS in and out of engagement with the ball 13 to be covered,In the present construction both shafts Hare rotated at the same speedand the driving meansfor each shaft consists of a gear I9 keyed orotherwise rigidly secured to its outer end.

Each gear l9 meshes with an idler gear 29 which meshes with andis-drivenby a pinion 2i rigidly secured to the power shaft 22 which maybe driven by the gear 23. The gears 20 are relatively wide so that thegears l9 will remain in'engagem'ent therewith duringthe longitudinalsliding movement of the shafts I1.

Means is provided for'yieldingly' forcing the heads l8, it towards eachother to thereby retain these heads in frictional engagement With-theball B to be wound, and to this end in the con-' struction shown eachshaft is provided with a grooved collar 24 adapted to have the groovethereof engaged byabifurcate'd upper end por- Upon this bed;p1ate, IDare ing bracket 32. To the longer end of this rocking lever is securedthe rod 33 which carries at its lower ends the weights 34, and to theshorter end of this lever is secured the rod adapted to extenddownwardly to a foot operated treadle, not shown. The construction issuch that the downward pull of the weights 34 upon the lever 30 will actthrough the slide 28 to operate the rocking arms 25 and 21 to therebyforce the shafts l1 towards each other, and when a downward pull isexerted on the rod 35 to rock the lever 30 upwardly this will force theshafts l1 apart to thereby disengage the heads I 8, I8 from the ball.The mechanism so far described except for the heads forms no essentialpart of the present invention.

The novel mechanism of the present invention is best shown in Figs. 2and 3 and will now be described.

The head I8 is shown as rigidly secured to one shaft l1 by a pin 36 andset screw 31 and this head is cut away adjacent the ball B as best shownin Fig. 3 to receive a pair of concave rollers 38 which arerotatablysupported in the head 18 by the shafts 39. These rollers 38 constituteidler rollers and are provided with smooth concave faces adapted toengage and support the ball B during the winding operation.

7 The head I8 is rigidly secured to the other shaft I1 by a pin 36 andset screw 31, similar to the head l8 and this head I8 is provided with apair of concave rollers 40 each of which has a serrated surface as shownto prevent slippage between these rollers and the ball B when theserollers are positively rotated in a manner to be described. Each roller40 is rigidly secured to a shaft 4! journaled in the head I8, and eachshaft 4| protrudes at one end from the head, to receive a gear 42rigidly secured thereto. These two gears mesh with and are driven by apinion 43 rigidly secured to a shaft. journaled in the head l8approximately between the rollers 4!]. The arrangement is such that whenthe shaft 44 is rotated its pinion will rotate the gears 42 to therebyrotate the serrated rollers 40 and turn the ball B upon an axis disposedparallel to the shafts 4| and 44.

It will be seen that the mechanism so far described serves to supportthe ball B and rotate it about the fixed axis upon which the shafts l1rotate so that if a tape or strand is delivered to the ball in a planeat right angles to this fixed axis it will be wound on the ball insuccessive coils. The tape T such, for example, as a thin tape or ribbonof gutta percha or balata approximately /4" wide may be supplied to theball B under the desired tension by any suitable means such, forexample, as the grooved wheel 45 which may receive the tensioned tapefrom a source of The present winding machine has been designed moreparticularly to wind a tape, strand or ribbon upon a wound core or ballbody C such as shown in Fig. 4 and which may be of usual constructionfor a golf ball. This ball body C may be placed between the heads [8 andI8 to be supported and rotated thereby after the leading end of the tapeT has been secured thereto, whereupon the machine may be started up toeffect the Winding operation.

It is desired, as above pointed out, to so wind the tape T upon the ballbody C that an elliptical shaped cover will be formed thereupon as shownin Fig. 5. This is accomplished in accordance with the present inventionby periodically rotating the shaft 44 to thereby turn the rollers 40 andshift the ball B through a small angle aboutv an axis lying in the planein which the tape is supplied to the ball. This periodic movement issecured in the embodiment of the invention illustrated by providing astar wheel 41 which is rigidly secured to a protruding end of the shaft44 as best shown in Fig. 3 and which is positioned to cooperate with afixed pin 48 that is rigidly secured to and extends upwardly from abracket 49 secured in the desired position of adjustment to the bedplate In by the clamping bolts 50. In the construction shown the starwheel 41 has five projecting points arranged so that each time the headIt rotates through a complete revolution one of these points will strikethe pin 48 and turn the star wheel and its shaft 44 through an angle of'12 degrees. This will rotate the rollers 40 through a somewhat smallerangle to thereby turn the ball B through an angle of say from 15 to 20degrees. The angle through which the ball rotates will decrease slightlyas the ball increases in size.

The periodical rotation of the ball B by the star wheel 41 and othermechanism described will cause the'successive windings of the tape T tobe deposited one on top of the other at the opposite poles and disposedin spaced relation to each other at the equator of the ball as shown inFig. 5 to thereby wind the cover forming tape in a thicker layer at thepoles than at the equator and impart to the ball the elliptical shapeshown in Fig. 5.

The ball is then ready to be placed in a spherical mold as described inmy application above cited so that when the heated mold is closed thecovering material will flow from the poles toward the equator todistribute the cover uniformly over the ball body C.

As above stated the angle through which the ball B is turned by the starwheel 41 upon each revolution of the heads l8, 18' will decreaseslightly as the ball grows in size. This is desirable since it causes adistribution of the coils about the equator of the ball and prevents thecoil from falling one on top of the other adjacent the equator inperfect register.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. A winding machine comprising, means for holding a ball includingmeans whereby the ball may be continuously rotated about a given axis,means for supplying a continuous element to the ball to be woundthereupon as the ball is rotated and disposed to supply said element ina plane at degrees from said given axis, and mechanism including saidball holding means and a stationary member cooperating therewith forintermittently rotating said ball about an axis disposed at all times insaid plane.

2. A winding machine comprising means for 2,285,334 holding andcontinuously rotating a ball about an axis, means for supplying anelement to said ball to be wound thereon in a plane 90 degrees from saidaxis, and an independent fixed device intermittently cooperating withsaid ball holding and rotating means for rotating said ball about anaxis in the winding plane.

3. A Winding machine comprising a pair of opposed Winding headssimultaneously rotatable on the same axis, a pair of ball-holdingrollers in each head, means for guiding an extended cover element onto aball held by said rollers and in a plane at a large angle to said axis,means for driving one pair of said rollers to turn them in the head, andan independent member fixedly mounted in the rotating path of a partcarried by 'one of said heads for intermittently actuating said lastmeans.

4. A winding machine comprising a pair of opposed Winding headssimultaneously rotatable on the same axis, a pair of idler ball-holdingrollers in one head, a pair of ball-holding rollers in the other head, ageared shaft for driving both said last rollers and projecting laterallyfrom their winding head, a fixed member disposed adjacent the rotatingpath of said shaft adapted to contact means upon said shaft and turn thelatter upon each revolution of the winding head, and means for supplyingan extended cover element to a ball supported by said rollers in a plane90 degrees from the winding head axis of rotation.

5. A winding machine provided with a pair of cooperating heads havingball supporting elements, means for rotating said heads at the samespeed to rotate the ball about a given axis, means for supplying acontinuous strand to the ball supported by said heads to be woundthereupon in a plane at right angles to said given axis, and meansacting through said elements as the heads rotate to turn the ball solelyabout a single axis disposed in said plane, to thereby deposit thestrand more thickly at the poles than at the equator of the ball.

6. A winding machine provided with a pair of cooperating heads havingball supporting elements, means for rotating said heads at the samespeed to rotate the ball about a given axis, means for supplying acontinuous strand to the ball supported by said heads to be woundthereupon in a plane at right angles to said given axis, and meansacting intermittently through said elements as the heads rotate to turnthe ball solely about a single axis disposed in said plane, to therebywind the strand more thickly at the poles than at the equator of theball.

7. A winding machine provided with a pair of cooperating heads havingball supportin rollers, means for rotating said heads to rotate the ballabout a given axis, means for supplying a continuous strand, to the ballsupported by said heads to be wound thereupon in a plane at right anglesto said given axis, and means for turning at least one of said rollersas the heads rotate to thereby turn the ball solely upon a single axisin said plane.

8. A winding machine provided with a pair of cooperating heads havingball supporting rollers, means for rotating said heads to rotate theball about a given axis, neans for supplying a continuous strand to theball supported by said heads to be wound thereupon in a plane at rightangles to said given axis, and means for turning at least one of saidrollers as the heads rotate to thereby turn the ball on a single axisalone relative to said heads.

9. A winding machine comprising, means for holding a ball includin meanswhereby the ball may be continuously rotated about a given axis, meansfor supplying a continuous strand to said ball as it is rotated anddisposed to supply said strand in a plane at right angle to said givenaxis, and mechanism including said ball holding means for rotating saidball about a single axis alone relative to said holding means so as tocause all windings to pass through the opposed poles of the ball and tobe distributed evenly about its equator.

10. A ballwindin machine comprising, mechanism for supporting androtating a ball upon a given axis, means for supplying a continuouselement to a ball as it is rotated by said mechanism, and an independentfixed actuating device positioned to cooperate with a part rotated bysaid mechanism, whereby the ball is rotated continuously about saidgiven axis and intermittently about a second axis disposed at degrees tothe fixed axis.

' VICTOR H. HURT.

